Vassar owes more than an apology

Being accepted into college is every teenager's dream. Once you get that letter, it's a feeling you never want to let go of. It signifies accomplishment and success and allows you to live out senior year without a worry. Students work hard to earn acceptance letters, and they should never be taken away, even if there is a "system error."

For most students, once they get into college, their next move is to either accept or decline their acceptance. However, 76 students weren't able to make this decision this past weekend, as they watched their acceptances slip away before their eyes.

Vassar College "accepted" 122 students for their early decision, but only 46 were actually accepted. Later that day, Vassar sent out an apology letter saying there was an error in the system and that the actual decisions were currently online.

Shame on you, Vassar! They took the best feeling in the whole world and threw it in the garbage. Vassar screwed up big time, and all they offered was an apology. Doesn't an error of that magnitude warrant more than an "I'm sorry?" Parents of the 76 students have requested refunds on application fees, and Vassar won't even give them that.

It's ridiculous that after a mistake of this magnitude, Vassar College officials find it reasonable to offer up an apology and nothing else.

Technically, Vassar is also breaking a legally binding contract. Early decision acceptance, for those who don't remember, is a binding agreement that students must uphold if accepted. Vassar accepted these 76 students, so the contract should still be binding, regardless of any "system error." Although no papers were signed, several students had already withdrawn from other colleges because of the binding contract.

Some sort of compensation should be provided to those students who worked so hard to get into the college of their choice. Vassar officials might be under the impression that their credibility hasn't been torched, but a screw-up like this leaves a stain.

Vassar officials should be punished for breaking a binding contract and should certainly be made to provide more than an apology. Those 76 students deserve that much.